Harley Bennell ruled out of Round 1 contention by Fremantle coach Ross Lyon
FREMANTLE fans won’t be seeing Harley Bennell in Round 1, but Dockers coach Ross Lyon hasn’t given up hope of an early-season Freo debut.
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FREMANTLE coach Ross Lyon has ruled Harley Bennell out of Round 1 contention, but remains hopeful the star half-forward will make his Dockers debut “in the early rounds” of 2017.
Bennell travelled to Germany late last year to undergo revolutionary treatment after a persistent calf issues sidelined him for the entire 2016 season.
The 24-year-old then returned to Fremantle with a positive mindset, training strongly as the club steadily increased his workload.
Despite his progress, Lyon on Thursday revealed that Bennell wouldn’t play against Geelong in Round 1, but said the club was still hopeful of unleashing him during the early stages of the season.
“He won’t be available for round one, but his rehab is progressing well, particularly post Germany,” Lyon said via an AFL-run Facebook chat.
“We expect to see him, if all goes to plan, in the early rounds.”
Bennell, an explosive, clean player who can also hit the scoreboard, is yet to play for the Dockers after crossing over from the Gold Coast Suns at the end of the 2015 season.
He told the Dockers’ website last month that he wanted to make amends for failing to play a game in his first year at the club.
Lyon on Wednesday also revealed that the club would unveil its 2017 leadership group ”by the end of the month”.
David Mundy, who captained the club in 2016, is unlikely to maintain the role, with superstar on-baller Nat Fyfe widely tipped to assume skipper responsibilities, despite conjecture he could leave the club at season’s end.
Other candidates include Michael Walters, Aaron Sandilands, Stephen Hill and Lee Spurr.
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Originally published as Harley Bennell ruled out of Round 1 contention by Fremantle coach Ross Lyon
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